If you love electronic music, you'll love this

Behringer clone of Roland's System 100

Behringer is currently cloning every synth on the planet, and they're doing a good job. This time, they've gone modular

If you love musical instruments with knobby interfaces, then this is going to prove irresistable. Fresh from a breathless 2019, during which the German audio company released what seemed like a continuous stream of very high quality synthesisers, there's a complete range of EuroRack-compatible synth modules, based on the original Roland System 100. The Roland Synth from the 70s was responsible for some of the seminal synthesiser sounds of that decade, and was often the very first electronic instrument that curious teenagers (like me) heard, setting them on a lifetime of knobular noodling. 

Typically, Beringer sets a low price point for their products and this is no exception, with modules set at between £49 and £99. This makes the concept of modular synthesis a pracitical and affordable proposition. And it needs to be affordable, because unless you're very experienced with this type of synthesis, you're never going to be quite sure what kind of sound you're going to get until you've actually tried it. 

Personally, I love the idea of this. What I'm not sure about is the amount of time it takes to get something that sounds half decent. And even then, there's no patch memory. So you can't store your creations unless you draw them on the back of an envelope. 

But if you love the idea of sonic exploration - especially for the sort of sounds you'd find in a retro science fiction film - then this is a fantastic way to get into modular synthesis.